Ducks want more traffic in front of Kings’ Jonathan Quick in Game 3

Will Lester / Staff Photographer
The Ducks’ Saku Koivu is pressured by the Kings' Jarret Stoll as Kings goalie Jonathan Quick looks on during Game 2 of their Stanley Cup playoff series. The Kings lead the series 2-0.

They don’t need more shots on goal. They don’t need to generate more quality scoring chances. They don’t need more sustained pressure. They don’t need to control the puck for longer periods. They don’t need more power-play chances. They don’t need a miracle.

What the Ducks really need in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series against the Kings on Thursday at Staples Center is quite simple. It’s not as if they need to scrap their game plan, alter their lineup or make changes just for the sake of making changes.

What they need is more traffic in front of Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, who has stopped 69 of 72 shots in victories in the first two games. What they need is a little more grit in front of the opposing net coupled with a little bit of a luck, and that’s not exactly rocket science.

“We’ve got to get bodies in front of him,” Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf said of Quick. “Last game, I didn’t think we did as good a job as Game 1. (Monday) night, he saw a lot of the pucks and there wasn’t that many opportunities after that. If he sees the puck, he’s going to catch it nine times out of 10.”

Most of the Ducks’ 37 shots during their 3-1 loss in Game 2 on Monday at the Honda Center were from the perimeter, easily handled lobs that didn’t trouble Quick. The Ducks were dangerous because they carried the play for the final two-thirds of the game, but their shots were manageable.

The Ducks’ lone goal, a power-play strike in the first period from forward Patrick Maroon, should be a blue print for success for Game 3 and beyond. Maroon stationed himself near Quick’s net and tried a cross-crease pass to teammate Corey Perry, who was alone at the right goal post.

The puck never reached Perry, but deflected off the stick of Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin and into the net. Quick was out of position and Perry most likely would have tapped the puck home if Muzzin hadn’t redirected the pass

“I think their goalie is doing a very good job, but he’s seeing everything,” Ducks defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. “I think we dominated the shots, but that doesn’t matter. … We need to find a way to really get to the front and continue to find a way to beat their goalie.”

Perry is the Ducks’ forward most suited to wreaking havoc in front of Quick, annoying him and prompting a reaction that could result in a penalty. Perry is at his best when he’s playing the role of troublemaker, as when he squirted his water bottle into Jeff Carter’s glove Monday in Game 2.

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“I’m just trying to get under people’s skin,” Perry said of the Carter incident. “Maybe it’s something (where) you just try to get people off their game. I don’t know. His glove was just sitting there and I was drinking water.”

Perry’s act was perhaps the surest sign the Ducks aren’t down and out after losses to the Kings in the first two games. They’re a little frustrated and angry and disappointed, but they vowed they would pressure the Kings anew when the series shifted to Staples Center for Game 3.

“I think we’re a confident group,” Lovejoy said. “I think that we know we can beat this team. We feel we’ve had two pretty even games and they’ve obviously come out on top. I truly believe playoffs is all about momentum, and right now we need to put a seed of doubt in their mind.

“If we win that next game and it’s 2-1 (in the series), then we can do that.”